The Boys, Vol. 1 Review: Diabolical
Garth Ennis's savage superhero satire — and how it differs from the show.
By Web Admin
Before it was one of the most talked-about shows on television, The Boys was a gleefully nasty comic that took a baseball bat to the entire superhero genre. Written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Darick Robertson, the series launched in 2006 and its first volume, “The Name of the Game,” collects the opening six issues. It is savage, filthy, funny, and far more extreme than even the Amazon adaptation dares to be. Here’s our full review — and an honest look at how the comic stacks up against the show.
Content warning: The Boys is one of the most explicit mainstream comics ever published. Expect extreme graphic violence, gore, strong sexual content, and pervasive crude language. This is a book strictly for adults, and even by adult standards it is not shy.
What is The Boys?
The Boys is a creator-owned satire by Garth Ennis (Preacher, Punisher MAX) and Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan). It began at DC’s Wildstorm imprint in 2006 before moving to Dynamite Entertainment, and ran for 72 issues. Its premise flips the superhero genre inside out: in this world, “supes” are real, but they’re mostly reckless, corrupt, drug-addled celebrities owned and marketed by a monstrous corporation called Vought-American. Someone has to keep them in line — and that’s the Boys, a black-ops team authorised to surveil, blackmail, and, when necessary, brutally eliminate superheroes who cross the line.
Volume 1 introduces the team through the eyes of Wee Hughie, a mild-mannered Scot recruited after a superhero carelessly kills his girlfriend in a botched fight. His guide into this world is Billy Butcher, the team’s terrifying, charismatic leader, who nurses a bottomless hatred of supes. Parallel to this, we follow Annie January — Starlight — a sincere young hero whose disillusionment begins the moment she joins the corrupt premier super-team, the Seven.
The story: corruption, power, and rot
The engine of The Boys is Ennis’s contempt for the idea that power makes people good. His superheroes aren’t fallen idols; they were rotten to begin with, propped up by branding, merchandising, and a corporation that treats human casualties as PR problems. The satire targets celebrity culture, corporate greed, military-industrial cynicism, and the superhero genre’s own power fantasies all at once. It’s angry, and the anger is the point.
What keeps it from being pure nihilism is the human core: Hughie’s grief and decency, and Annie’s slow, painful loss of innocence. These two are the reader’s anchors, and Ennis — for all his provocation — genuinely cares about them. Underneath the shock value is a real story about ordinary people trying to hold on to themselves inside monstrous systems.
Meet the team
- Billy Butcher — the ruthless, magnetic leader with a personal vendetta against supes.
- Wee Hughie — the grieving everyman and our point-of-view character; drawn to resemble actor Simon Pegg.
- Mother’s Milk, the Frenchman, and the Female — the rest of the crew, each dangerous in their own way.
- Annie January (Starlight) — the idealistic new recruit to the Seven.
The art: Darick Robertson’s grimy realism
Darick Robertson’s artwork grounds the satire in a grubby, believable world. His character acting is superb — Butcher’s menace, Hughie’s hangdog vulnerability — and he doesn’t flinch from the extreme content the script demands. There’s a lived-in, slightly ugly texture to his cities and people that suits the material perfectly. When the violence hits, it lands with real weight, and his design work on the various supes constantly undercuts their glamour with something seedy underneath.
Just how extreme is it?
Let’s be blunt: The Boys is designed to offend, and it succeeds. The first volume alone contains graphic gore, explicit sexual content, and relentless crude humour, and the series only escalates from there. Ennis uses shock deliberately — to strip away the genre’s self-importance — but if you’re squeamish or easily put off, this is not the book for you. Fans of his work on Preacher will know roughly what to expect; newcomers should go in with eyes open. If that sounds like too much, our Preacher review covers a slightly more accessible Ennis entry point.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Razor-sharp satire of superheroes and corporate power
- Butcher and Hughie are genuinely great characters
- Darkly hilarious and fearless
- Robertson’s art sells every gut-punch
Cons
- Extremely graphic — gore, sex, and crude humour throughout
- The provocation sometimes overwhelms the story
- Definitely not for casual or squeamish readers
How the comic compares to the show
The Amazon series has made The Boys a household name, and it’s an excellent adaptation — but it’s a genuine reimagining, not a page-for-page translation. If you love the show, the comic will surprise you in ways both good and jarring.
| Element | The comic (2006) | The show (2019–) |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | Nastier, more nihilistic | Sharper political satire |
| Homelander | Menacing but a supporting threat | Central, deeply layered villain |
| Butcher | Even more ruthless | More sympathetic, conflicted |
| Storylines | Original arcs and targets | Substantially reworked plots |
The show arguably improves on some characters — its Homelander is one of TV’s great villains, far richer than his comic counterpart — while the comic goes places the show never could. Read the comic and you’ll appreciate how much the writers’ room transformed. For more on how comics translate to the screen, see our guide to comic adaptations coming soon.
Which edition should you buy?
There are a few ways to collect it, depending on how deep you plan to go.
| Edition | Collects | Approx. price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 paperback | Issues #1–6 | ~US$17 | Trying it out |
| Omnibus Vol. 1 | Roughly issues #1–14 | ~US$30 | Best value for fans |
| Complete run (6 omnibuses) | All 72 issues | ~US$180+ | Committing fully |
Is The Boys worth reading if you’ve seen the show?
Yes — with the right expectations. Don’t read it expecting the show in comic form; read it as the wilder, meaner, more anarchic original that inspired it. Fans of dark, transgressive comics and of Ennis’s other work will find plenty to love. It sits alongside the medium’s other great crime-adjacent provocations in our best crime and noir comics roundup.
The verdict
The Boys, Vol. 1 is not for everyone, and it doesn’t want to be. It’s crude, cruel, and frequently gross — but it’s also smart, furious, and often very funny, with two genuinely compelling leads at its centre. If you’ve got the stomach for it and you want superhero satire with no guardrails, it delivers. Explore more creator-owned mayhem in our Indie hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Boys comic more violent than the show?
Yes, considerably. The comic is more graphic and more nihilistic in its violence, gore, and sexual content than even the Amazon series, which is itself famously extreme.
Is the comic the same as the TV show?
No. The show is a substantial reimagining. It keeps the core premise and characters but reworks major storylines and deepens several figures — Homelander and Butcher especially — so both versions offer genuinely different experiences.
Who wrote The Boys comic?
It was written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Darick Robertson, who co-created it. Ennis is also known for Preacher and his acclaimed run on Punisher MAX.
Where should I start with The Boys comic?
Begin with Volume 1, “The Name of the Game,” which collects the first six issues. If you know you’ll be hooked, the omnibus editions offer better value per page.
Want more from the same writer? Read our Preacher review, or see what’s headed to screens in our comic adaptations guide.
